It's impossible to visit Paris without visiting theHôtel de Ville, in the heart of the capital. If you didn't manage to book your group tour two months in advance (!) or if there was too much of a wait during the Journées du Patrimoine, you can always stroll around the large Place de l'Hôtel de Ville while gazing at Europe's largest municipal building. But how well do you know its history?
Paris' first town hall, then known as the Maison aux Piliers, was built in 1357, and from then on Parisian municipal institutions were run from there. But in the 16th century, the Maison aux Piliers fell into ruin. On the orders of King François I, it was replaced by a Renaissance-style palace, built between 1533 and 1628 to plans by the Italian architect Boccador. From 1837 to 1848, the Hôtel de Ville was renovated and, above all, enlarged by Godde and Lesueur. Great artists of the time, such as Delacroix and Ingres, were responsible for the decor!
And yet, theHôtel de Ville we know today is absolutely not this one, but a building constructed between 1874 and 1882. So, what happened in between? The Paris Commune, of course! On May 24, 1871, theHôtel de Ville was invaded by the Communards, the Paris Commune was proclaimed and a group of Communards finally set fire to the palace. The archives and collections were reduced to ashes.
Only three years later, the new Hôtel de Ville was rebuilt according to the plans of the old building, but enlarged and raised. The architects Théodore Ballu and Deperthes were responsible for the rapid construction of such a majestic building. The façade features statues of major figures from French history (scholars, politicians, industrialists) and artists such as Voltaire, Molière, La Bruyère, Perrault, Delacroix, de Musset, La Rochefoucault and Boileau.
Known as Place de Grève and then Place de la Maison Commune during the French Revolution, the square in front of the Hôtel de Ville was renamed Place de l'Hôtel de Ville in 1803. In 2013, the words "Esplanade de la Libération" were added to "Place de l'Hôtel de Ville" to pay tribute to the Resistance fighters, the Free French, the Allies and all the insurgents who liberated Paris on the night of August 24-25, 1944.
